Racetrackmasters

According to Max Verstappen, Pierre Gasly made a fundamental error in his approach to Formula 1 that cost him the top seat at Red Bull. Gasly began 2020 as Verstappen’s teammate, but he struggled and lost the seat to Alex Albon – who has also now lost the place, this time to Sergio Perez. “It’s true. When Pierre joined us, he wanted to immediately adapt instead of taking the time to study everything,” Verstappen told Ziggo Sport. “The tactic didn’t work. As a result, a lot went wrong and he was under a lot of pressure. The fact that he had an accident in the winter tests also didn’t make things easier,” he added. However, Verstappen said he was impressed with Gasly’s recovery once he returned to Alpha Tauri. “It was great. Others can learn from him about how he managed to recover,” he said.

Former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen says he had an offer to remain on the grid for 2021, although the proposition was made by a team “not better than Haas”. The Haas US outfit’s decision to refresh its line-up for this season by contracting with F1 rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin left both Magnussen and teammate Romain Grosjean out in the cold for 2021, at least regarding F1. However, the Dane has revealed that he was offered an opportunity to race on this season, although it anything but an enticing proposal according to the 28-year-old. “I cannot say who it was, because I think it might make someone angry,” Magnussen told Danish magazine Dossier. “It was a team that is not better than Haas, so it is not difficult to imagine.” Indeed, one would likely suppose that Magnussen was referring to Williams, although any potential deal with the Grove-based outfit may have been contingent on George Russell’s early exit from the team to join Mercedes. “Although I had a chance to stay in Formula 1, I did not have the motivation to continue that way. I would have liked to continue if I could have won with any of the big teams.” Magnussen’s wish will likely remain unfulfilled as the former F1 driver has moved on to greener pastures, racing this year in the US in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Chip Ganassi Racing. Unbeknownst to many, Magnussen is actually well acquainted with the US sportscar scene, having witnessed many races in America alongside his father – four-time IMSA champion Jan Magnussen. “I can’t say exactly how many IMSA races I went to with my father, maybe 10 or 12. But I definitely got a feel for the racing here and for a lot of the tracks,” said Magnussen. “So I was really interested in racing in America when it looked like my time in Formula 1 was ending.” The 28-year-old will be action next weekend at the Rolex 24 at Daytona along with CGR teammate Renger van der Zande with whom he will share the No. 01 CGR Cadillac in the DP1 class this year.

Carlos Sainz had to wait a long time for it, but finally the Spaniard can be seen in Ferrari’s red. On Wednesday, he tested in the 2018 Ferrari at the Fiorano circuit, and that made for some stunning images. Ferrari surprised everyone with news before the 2020 Formula One season had even started. Sebastian Vettel was to leave and Carlos Sainz was to be his replacement. However, this was about 2021. Sainz had to drive for McLaren for another year before he could realise his dream of driving for Ferrari. That dream is now finally coming true for Sainz, who after his visits to the factory can finally get into the car. Although it’s a 2018 model due to test restrictions, it’s good for Sainz to get used to the car’s characteristics and learn the procedures from his new engineers.

four-time Champion Sebastian Vettel has been revealed by new team Aston Martin (formerly Racing Point / Force India) on social media, entering the building. Not much of a news piece, but interesting to see the ex Ferrari and Red Bull driver now wearing green, the colours of the British marque. Aston Martin, who competed as Racing Point last year, are the latest re-birth of a Silverstone-based team whose lineage goes back to the one founded by Irish entrepreneur Jordan in 1991. The former team boss Eddie Jordan made some comments that could some F1 fans raise an eyebrow or two claiming the arrival of Vettel might help Lance Stroll become a World Champion. “We were all maybe thinking ‘is that the right thing with Lance [joining the team]?’, and you’d have to say that Lance’s speed is undoubted now,” said Jordan. “You have to look at him as a driver that sometimes he doesn’t always show his speed as much as he should, or can do. “He has enormous talent. And he has the speed to be a world champion, he really, really does. But what I would like to see is more consistency. You go to a race and I’m not sure what I’m likely to see from Lance. “I think Vettel coming can help them to do that. I think that Vettel may spur him on, just like Vettel spurred on Leclerc”

There will be a new movie on Netflix showcasing the world of Formula One. It isn’t a documentary in any way, but rather a fictional film about a young and talented American F1 driver who becomes involved with the mafia and is forced to serve as a getaway driver to save his family. No release date has been revealed yet, but the movie, called The Formula, will be written, directed and produced by Gerard McMurray, whose previous work includes Burning Sands and The First Purge. It stars Hollywood legend Robert De Niro and John Boyega, the latter a British-Nigerian actor who shot to fame playing Finn in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens. According to reports, The Formula will take place in contemporary grand prix racing. McMurray said on Instagram: “Feels amazing to see this idea in my head finally come to life that I’m writing, directing and producing.” Jane Rosenthal, De Niro and Berry Welsh are also producers of the film. “My new production company Buppie Productions is teaming up with Tribeca Films and Netflix to bring to you a dope original film coming soon called The Formula starring two of my favourite actors, John Boyega and Robert De Niro. It’s the story of a young man from Detroit who becomes an international racing star in the world of Formula 1 under the tutelage of his mentor with old mob ties,” he added.

Daniil Kvyat will no longer drive for AlphaTauri in 2021, having been replaced by Yuki Tsunoda. The Japanese driver will sit alongside Pierre Gasly and has already clocked up his first metres. He did so during the test session after the last Grand Prix of 2020 in Abu Dhabi. AlphaTauri have shared a new video giving us a comprehensive behind-the-scenes look at his journey to his first metres on the track. Conversations with Tost, fitting a seat, explanations, a briefing and much more. Everything is covered in this video of almost 20 minutes.

AlphaTauri Formula 1 technical chief Jody Egginton felt disappointed that the team failed to beat Ferrari in 2020, believing it had a faster car. In the first season since its rebrand from Toro Rosso, AlphaTauri picked up a record number of points for the team, surpassing the 100-point mark for the first time in its history. The highlight for the team was Pierre Gasly’s shock victory in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, marking the outfit’s second-ever win some 12 years after Sebastian Vettel’s success at the same race. Gasly was able to produce a string of other impressive displays, regularly featuring in the points, while team-mate Daniil Kvyat also chipped in with seven top-10 finishes, including fourth place at Imola. But the team was unable to match its sixth-place finish in the constructors’ championship from the previous year, falling 24 points shy of Ferrari in the final standings. AlphaTauri technical director Egginton said that while he was pleased the team had met its design targets with the AT01 car, there was a feeling it missed an opportunity to beat Ferrari. “Ultimately we felt we should have been sixth in the championship,” Egginton told Autosport. “We think the car was good enough for it, but we didn’t deliver on that, if I’m brutally honest. There’s a lot of things that we have stepped up with, but unfortunately we’ve not nailed that feat. “On the flip side, the car was very competitive. We scored points at an awful lot of races. When we didn’t score points, we’ve been very clear why we didn’t score the points. We understand our car. “But the fact of the matter is our performance at Imola, when we had a reliability issue, and Portugal and Turkey, where we probably didn’t get it together as good as we could have done, it cost us. “We scored more points than we’ve ever scored out of less races, and Pierre did a fantastic job. All the other metrics that we track as a team, we’re heading in the right direction. “With Ferrari, especially with Charles Leclerc, he’s driven fantastically. But we had a faster car and we didn’t manage to utilise it every weekend. They may not believe we had a faster car, but that’s my view.” One of the main points of praise for the AT01 car was its wide operating window, acting as a forgiving car that avoided any massive drops in performances depending on the circuit or track conditions. Egginton agreed that the design of the car had helped bring out the best in Gasly, who flourished in his first full season back at Faenza after being dropped by Red Bull midway through the 2019 season. “We’ve tried to increase the operating window that the car works in to make it easier for the driver,” Egginton explained. “[Gasly’s] responded to that. It’s also fair to say he was with us, he went to Red Bull, had his Red Bull experience, came back, and he got straight down to work. That’s a credit to him. It’s also a credit to the environment in the team. “He’s learning and he’s driving really well, and the way he uses the car and the way he races and his race craft, it’s all coming on. We’re feeding off that and it’s motivating. He’s done really well. “I can’t comment on the situation he went through at Red Bull, but he turned up with us and he’s got down to work. I think everyone appreciates that. He gives 110%, and you can’t really ask for more than that really.”

Daniel Ricciardo is the new face of McLaren and the team is making immediate use of it. The Australian went to America, to record a video about the cooperation with the fashion brand: RHUDE. Ricciardo had been on McLaren’s list to bring in as a driver for a long time. When it became clear that Ricciardo would leave Red Bull, McLaren was also on the market. Ricciardo, however, chose Renault two years ago but has now found himself at McLaren. An ideal step for the driver and the team. As a team, McLaren has worked hard in recent years to create a positive atmosphere around the team. The cooperation between Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz worked well. They have now found Ricciardo, who with his big smile already makes for a nice video.

Lewis Hamilton will sign a new contract with Mercedes this week, former Formula One team boss Eddie Jordan has said. Hamilton’s previous £40million-a-year deal with the sport’s all-conquering team expired on the final day of December. And Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff recently indicated that a resolution is not forthcoming, admitting to arguing with his star driver on Zoom over the terms of his latest deal. But Jordan, who remains well-connected in the sport, told the PA news agency: ‘I believe Lewis will be signed within a week. I cannot see it going into February. ‘Where do Mercedes go after Lewis? Of course, they can have the pick of the crop, but that is not the way Toto operates. ‘He has increased his shareholding over the winter, brought in INEOS as a one-third shareholder, and he doesn’t want to be walking up and down the paddock with somebody new that he has to think about. ‘He wants to be there with the man of the moment, he wants to be there with the king of all kings in Formula One and that is Lewis Hamilton.’ Jordan ran his own F1 team for 14 years and believes Hamilton, 36, who has won six of his record-equalling seven world championships with Mercedes, should be granted a slice of the team’s television revenue. Accounts published last autumn said the Silver Arrows enjoyed a near-quarter share of F1’s TV coverage, generating a cumulative advertising value equivalent to nearly £4billion for its commercial partners. Jordan, 72, speaking after it was announced that he has invested in Guestia, a new travel and event application, added: ‘The TV rights that Mercedes are getting as a result of winning the drivers’ and the constructors’ championship, surely some of that should go to Lewis? ‘He has been a hugely important part of the success and the reward they are getting. Who is the first person the TV people want to speak to first? Lewis. Do Lewis’ comments get repeated much more than anyone else? Of course they do. ‘If you look at LeBron James and Tiger Woods, they went to the organisers of their respective sports and said that we bring more credibility and support because of who we are and you need to compensate us. So pay Lewis an amount of money that the team are getting. I cannot see how he is not entitled to that. ‘Some might say he is already being overpaid, and maybe so, but we all said that nobody would ever come close to Michael Schumacher’s record and now you have a driver who has the potential to beat him by becoming an eight-time world champion. And make no mistake, Lewis is getting better.’ Hamilton, currently training in America, is due to open his championship defence in Bahrain on March 28.

Toto Wolff has been infected with the coronavirus. After several Formula One drivers have already been infected with the virus, this is the first time a team boss in F1 has contracted COVID-19. Toto Wolff sat down for an interview with ORF on Sunday evening. The Austrian had to admit that he too was infected with the coronavirus in January. Besides his driver Lewis Hamilton, Lance Stroll and Sergio Perez were also infected during the season, and Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris were also infected during the winter break. ‘We had planned to spend a few days in Kitzbühel, but out of the blue I tested positive for the coronavirus. We spent ten days in isolation, but fortunately did not suffer any symptoms. Now we are out of isolation and we can focus on Formula 1 again,” Wolff said to the Austrian broadcaster. Wolff also has a mountain of work to do prior to the new season. Not only does the car have to be delivered back on time for the new season, but star driver Lewis Hamilton’s contract has still not been renewed. That will now be the top priority in the run-up to the season.

Jenson Button will be taking part in the series, which is run by Formula E founder Alejandro Agag, scheduled to begin in April after its opening race in Saudi Arabia was pushed back by two weeks. Rounds will also be held in Senegal, Greenland, the Brazilian rainforest and Argentine glaciers of Tierra del Fuego. Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button will race for his own team when the new Extreme E off-road all-electric series begins later this year, the Briton said on Monday. Every team in the series, which aims to raise awareness about climate change by racing in some of the world’s most remote and harsh environments, must have a male and a female driver. Button’s team mate will be announced in due course. Rivals will include teams owned by Formula One champions Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

Formula 1 team Haas has received a torrent of vile abuse after posting a clip of Nikita Mazepin winning in F2. After being announced as a Haas driver for the coming season at the start of December, Mazepin then became the villain of F1 days later after the Russian posted on social media a video of himself groping a woman. Pressure mounted on Haas to drop the 21-year-old. Although the team initially described the incident as “abhorrent”, it later announced the issue had “been dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made”. Since declaring its decision on December 23, Haas had not mentioned Mazepin on its social media channels, posting only about former drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen and its other new recruit for this year, Mick Schumacher. Responses, however, often included the hashtag ‘WeSayNoToMazepin’. The team’s decision to post its first tweet about Mazepin since the incident has sparked a torrent of abusive messages towards the team and driver. As of 1pm UK time, there had been over 2,600 replies to the tweet. One reply to the video of Mazepin’s past success read: “How disgusting from Haas to give him a seat. I thought it was a team of values and respect. Clearly it is not.” Others pointed to the financial benefit to Haas of Mazepin being in the seat and twisted the F1 ‘WeRaceAsOne’ message to read “WeRaceForMoney”. Among the expletive-laden responses to the Haas tweet, there were a number of fans who, whether through tiredness of the topic or an acceptance that Haas has made its decision, simply want to move on from the discussion. The Haas Twitter admin was also a figure of much ire, but this stopped as a growing number of people pointed out that person would not have had a say in the team’s decision to hire Mazepin. Given the nature of the incident and the sensitivity of the topic, it is unlikely the tension between Haas and the fans will ease as the season approaches. How the team attempts to rebuild bridges with F1’s fanbase is yet to be seen, but with a single tweet garnering such a high level of attention, the scale of the task before the team has now been revealed.

Mick Schumacher, who will race for Haas in the 2021 F1 season, is among the seven drivers taking part in the Ferrari 2018 car test this week. Ferrari have announced they will be at Fiorano from Monday to Friday with the SF71H, giving a variety of drivers track time to prepare them for the new campaign. They are due to include Charles Leclerc, who has been suffering from COVID-19 but the intention is that he will be able to travel from his home in Monaco after completing his self-isolation period. Also, Carlos Sainz is set to try out a Ferrari for the first time since joining the team following his move from McLaren. But the other intriguing aspect will be the appearance of Schumacher, who joins four other Ferrari Academy Drivers in taking part even though he will be donning Haas overalls come the start of pre-season testing in Bahrain on March 12. The son of Michael Schumacher, the seven-time former World Champion, remains very much a member of the Ferrari programme despite his connection to Haas, with whom he is effectively ‘on loan’ for 2021. Schumacher was also involved in a similar exercise at Fiorano with the 2018 Ferrari last autumn, in between the Russian and Eifel Grands Prix, when he joined counterparts Callum Ilott and Robert Shwartzman in being given experience of an F1 car. ADVERTISEMENT That duo will also be participating again, with the trio of 2020 Formula 2 rivals having diverged towards different roles since then. While Schumacher, who won the series title, is heading for Haas in F1, his former Prema team-mate Shwartzman will be among the favourites to succeed him as champion in the second-tier category. Ilott, meanwhile, who finished second to Schumacher in the standings, is not expected to be racing in 2021 and will instead be Ferrari’s test driver. The other two drivers taking part in the test, who are somewhat further away from F1 as things stand, are Giuliano Alesi, son of ex-Ferrari driver Jean, and Marcus Armstrong of New Zealand. In terms of the test schedule, Ferrari said Sainz “will be at the wheel of a Ferrari for the very first time on Wednesday 27th and the morning of Thursday 28th”. Shwartzman, Alesi and Armstrong will get things under way on Monday, Leclerc will take over on Tuesday and after Sainz’s day-and-a-half stint, Schumacher and Ilott round things off on Thursday afternoon and Friday.